Estranged
by kyhplz
Summary: Gohan is considered illegitimate. Forbidden from ever meeting his little brother Goten, he's kicked out of his home to live with Vegeta and Bulma. But when Gohan finds Goten in a similar situation, he decides that enough is enough. Full summary inside. AU
1. Chapter 1

Gohan is deemed as a failed project; illegitimate. After being kicked from his home he lives with Vegeta and Bulma at Capsule Corp. Forbidden from even meeting his little brother Goten, Gohan silently watches over the little boy, even after being adopted into Hercule Satan's family. But when Chi-Chi's third child comes of age, she abandons little Goten too. Confused and distraught, the little boy is completely ignored by his mother and Mr Satan, who he believed to be his daddy. He's locked in his room to study, much like Gohan. But even a flaw such as being a demi-saiyan seems to be enough to upset Chi-Chi. Finding his little brother not just fatherless but motherless as well, Gohan decides that enough is enough and finally steps in.

Warning: Massive OOC, including Drama!Gohan and Chi-Chi bashing.

* * *

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the DBZ characters shown in this story.

* * *

"Gohan, why can't you ever meet Goten?" Curious blue eyes met reclusive Onyx pupils.

"Chi-Chi thinks I'm a bad influence." The tone of his voice was sour, but the little boy failed to register it.

"But you aren't. You're cool and smart and strong and really, really awesome!" There was a light laugh, sounding completely forced by the owner. The boy blinked, not quite sure what was so funny.

"I'm glad you think so, Trunks. But you should go meet up with Goten when he gets here; I have to do some work for your mom." Frowning, the young boy nodded sadly and hopped off of the teenager's lap. Chuckling good-naturedly, Gohan ruffled the eight year-old's lavender hair and made his way to his own personal lab to finish up on some paperwork that he needed to complete for Bulma, not really concerning himself with the problem that was Goten, no matter how much he really wanted to.

Being given the position as co-president of the company two years ago had given Gohan an excellent source of revenue, as well as his own private section of the house that consisted of a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, lab, infirmary and office. Generally he would eat with Bulma, Trunks, and Vegeta, but whenever Goten was spending the day at Capsule Corp. like today, he opted to stay in his living area instead, usually using this time to catch up on missed paperwork or lab work. His infirmary was fully stocked, usually containing senzu beans for when he was horribly beaten and bandages for the minor injuries that were often the only things that would remain after a scuffle with Vegeta. He chuckled as he remembered the latest encounter they had; training in the gravity room at 500x gravity; Gohan had aggravated Vegeta to the point where the prince's attacks became slow and sloppy, even if charged with deadly power.

The teenaged demi was always a step or two ahead of the proud prince, however, and had knocked Vegeta out after the full blood landed a particularly nasty blow on his jaw, deciding that the dangerous bout was done.

In spite of the seriousness of it all, Gohan couldn't help but laugh to himself. There was only one person to blame for his life to become a living hell, as perfect as it may have sounded up until now.

_Chi-Chi._ Just hearing the name made his cheeks flush in barely-contained anger. It had been when Goten was one; Gohan had been studying as hard as he possibly could for the first three and a half years after Cell, trying vainly to satisfy his mother's desires for him to be a scholar. Never had he met Goten then, either. In fact, he had been forbidden to meeting the little tyke since the day the young half-breed had been born. And during those three and a half years, he was locked in his room for eleven of the twelve hours a day studying. The rest of the time was spent sleeping and eating. And even when eating, he was only given human-sized proportions, barely enough to satisfy his rapidly growing appetite.

However, on Goten's third birthday, Chi-Chi had a particularly nasty anger spell. She had stormed into his room late at night and called him an ungrateful, illegitimate child. His mind still shuddered at the thought.

"_You ingrate! After all I've done for you and you can't even learn some basic math!" Which was a complete lie. Gohan had a complete understanding of the information, but Chi-Chi didn't see it that way. She smacked the school work and workbook back on his bench_

"_You stupid, selfish, illegitimate bastard. You even hurt my poor baby Goten. I don't want you here. You aren't even my son- you never have been. Sometimes I wonder if you were born from the devil himself. You and your father both." Gohan had glared back defiantly, anger coursing through his veins. This was the first time he had ever raised his voice to his mother; even all those years in solitude had not broken his kind persona. Never had he felt so broken- she wants to lock him up? Sure. But she did not talk about his father like that. Dead or not, Gohan still respected his father. He learned to cope with his loss, why couldn't she? _

"_I'm selfish? I'm not even allowed to meet my baby brother. As for my father... he was a man born of a pure heart. He's the greatest man I've ever met! You don't even deserve him!" His voice started out stone cold and quiet but began rising in octaves. By the time he was accusing his mother of whether she deserved him or not, he was practically shouting. He also stood up and rose to his full height, towering over his own mother by nearly a foot._

_Chi-Chi was largely taken aback by this. But her glare came back ten-fold, and she went to the boy's closet to pull out a storage capsule._

"_Take your things and pack up. You don't live here anymore." Her voice was soft and distant; she left almost immediately afterwards. Gohan stared after his mother's retreating form for a few moments before it clicked. __He __was being kicked out of his own house. The shock was threatening to surface but he pushed it back down. He could deal with these emotions later. He packed all of his books and clothes, opting to leave nothing behind. If she didn't want him, then so be it. As long as it kept her from ever hurting Goten._

_Goten… that little boy was like an angel. While he had never met Gohan, he knew there was someone in this room. And in all of his innocence, Gohan couldn't bring himself to open that door to show the boy who it was. Chi-Chi insisted that there was no one behind the door but Goten thought that maybe it was his daddy, that maybe his father was just sick. Or maybe his daddy didn't want him. Was he bad? Chi-Chi was constantly changing the subject and Goten, perpetually the same as Goku, lost interest quickly. Gohan sighed and willed the thoughts of his father and Goten away, not wanting to face the music. His mother had drilled it into his head that Gohan was a murderer, increasing his own self loathing once more._

_He waited almost two hours before checking his mother's stable ki. Good, she was asleep; it made this so much easier. Gohan knew that this would be his only chance to meet his little brother. He tip-toed out of the room silently, the now-full capsule sitting in his pants pocket. He opened the door to his little brother's room, the spiky mess that made up his hair the only thing visible in the pale moonlight. He crouched next to the sleeping form and shook him gently._

"_Hey Goten, wake up squirt," He whispered. A pair of sleepy onyx eyes peeked blearily at an identical pair; said pair were swimming in a myriad of emotions. Goten sat up and rubbed some sleep out of his eyes._

"_We can never tell Chi-Chi about this, understand?" Goten nodded, still not completely comprehending what was going on. Then it clicked. He didn't know this boy, but he recognized the voice as that from the room._

"_You're the voice…"_

"_That's what she calls it, huh?" Goten nodded shakily._

"_Well listen closely, kay Goten? I'm leaving forever now, so you won't have to worry about that voice, alright? Just remember that if you ever are in trouble I'll be there for you little brother." The small child cocked his head to one side, which earned a soft chuckle from Gohan. However, after a quick and silent hug, the older Son was gone. Goten forgot about what happened that night and passed off the idea of a big brother as a simple dream._

_But true to its word, he never heard that voice again._

Gohan sighed and leant back in his seat while idly twirling a felt-tipped black pen in his hand. It had been a while since he thought about his own past. As of late he was keeping himself busy instead. But Trunks had a good point; why wasn'tGohan allowed to see Goten now? Was it really because of Chi-Chi? While yes, she played a huge role in his own exile, but Gohan also knew that he hated himself for taking away the little boy's father. The scar on his shoulder was a constant reminder of the guilt that was in his heart.

He went to take a swig of caffeine from his mug when he noticed that his cup was empty. Sighing impatiently, the demi-saiyan went back to his kitchen to make himself some coffee, having quickly grown accustomed to having to stay awake for days at a time, becoming heavily dependant on the beverage.

"No beans? Darn it." He sighed and decided to go to the store. He needed to make a trip anyway, since he was running low on shampoo, not to mention he needed a new tuxedo for the upcoming party. Of course, he could only take part after the dinner, once Chi-Chi and Goten went home and Trunks went to bed.

"Might as well get this over with…" He murmured, throwing on a pair of sweatpants with a button-up white t-shirt. He tossed his brown sneakers on and made his way upstairs, happily noting that Trunks and Goten were outside.

"Bulma, I'm going out, you guys need anything at the store?" Turning around from her cleaning, Bulma shook her head before pointing to the tub of ice cream that Vegeta held in his hand, the elder eyeing him hungrily. The young demi chuckled and nodded.

"You should come too. We'll go get a snack too, on me." Vegeta grunted but turned around to go change. Bulma smiled and turned to Gohan with worried eyes, but he chuckled and shook his head, waving a hand dismissively.

Over the years Vegeta and Gohan had forged a sort of respectful bond. Whenever he felt troubled, the demi would always find himself talking to the prince. Vegeta usually didn't say much, but he was a great listener. And if that didn't end up working, Vegeta would be kind enough to let Gohan beat his ass into the floor of the gravity chamber. After the time studying with Chi-Chi, Gohan decided to maintain his father's legacy and resumed his training, eventually gaining full control of Super Saiyan 2.

"Don't worry about it Bulma, I've come to accept it. If he ever needs help I'll be there for both of them and you know it. And when he's old enough to make his own choices you can tell him about me. I just don't want to get him in trouble with Chi-Chi. It's bad enough that he has to live with that man. And with his new sibling on the way… I'm kind of worried, you know." Bulma nodded and began wiping the oven down, being unusually silent during the two minute exchange, not uttering a single word. Vegeta came back after this and threw his own shoes on, and he was even gloveless for once. As they made to leave, Goten and Trunks came in the front door chattering excitedly. Gohan 'eep'ed and dashed behind the counter. Snorting in what seemed to be a laugh, Vegeta walked past the 'brats' and made his way out the door, pausing for a second while Gohan dashed right between them, too fast for even the two little boys to make out.

"Mum, why's there a really strong wind?" Bulma laughed and waved the question off.

"It's nothing baby, go play for now."

"Oh, um… mum, I forgot to tell you something." Bulma raised an eyebrow and turned around, expecting her son to be filthy. He floated up and whispered something into his mother's ear, much to Goten's annoyance. The little boy huffed and crossed his arms grumpily, angered by the fact that his own mother was forbidding him from learning how to fly.

"Alright, you can go down and get it. Just use my password. Goten, you stay up here for now please." Trunks nodded excitedly and dashed down the hallway, leaving a confused Goten, who uncrossed his arms and blinked twice at Bulma.

"Where's he goin Miss Bulma?"

"He forgot something in a nearby lab." Goten blinked and nodded.

"Just go wait for him in his room, alright kiddo?" Goten smiled and strode down the hall with newfound purpose.

Several hours later, Gohan and Vegeta returned with a few shopping bags as well as takeout for Bulma and Trunks, Vegeta's face pleasant for once, his own eyes dancing in excitement for the upcoming spar he was going to have with Gohan. Unfortunately, however, they were arriving and Goten was leaving with a young woman.

"Hey Vegeta."

"Brat." Next to Vegeta, Gohan laughed lightly. The brunette turned to the teenager and cocked her eyebrow.

"And who might you be?"

"Another brat." This was met with another full laugh, this one from Vegeta, who smirked and nodded.

"Well, nice to meet you brat, I'm Videl, Goten's big brother." Gohan snorted and shook his head. Videl must have known she wasn't related to Goten but the little boy surely didn't know. For a matter of fact, Trunks didn't know either. All the lilac haired boy knew was that Gohan was always very nervous or quiet whenever he talked about Chi-Chi, Mr Satan, or Goten. Especially Goten.

"What's your problem?" Videl asked, pointing an accusing finger at the boy that had all of the bags, his face more or less still hidden from view. Gohan scowled and smacked her hand away with a few fingers.

"Don't touch me." Without even bothering to answer her question, he stormed inside. Videl sighed and shook her head, studying Vegeta in the meantime. There was something in the prince's eyes that she didn't recognize. Was it pity? Her brow wrinkled in confusion before the saiyan royal turned to her.

"You two should head home. Also, if you ever meet that brat ever again, don't expect him to be so nice to you." Vegeta knew very well that Gohan was fuming and he also knew he was going to pay for his promised spar in the morning in the form of a few fresh bruises. Videl nodded slowly and made her way back through the gate. Vegeta huffed and returned inside before dumping the extra food on the table and changing into his royal blue gi. He rapped on the main door to Gohan's room and waited for the teenager. Gohan opened the door slowly to gaze at the Saiyan prince before throwing it wide open, both of the Saiyans itching for a good spar.

Clad in his traditional purple gi that he adopted after the Cell Games from Piccolo, Gohan was the first to leave to start their sparring session in the chamber that was located outside, compared to the one that was indoors.

Punch, kick, block, dodge, punch, punch, dodge, kick. Gohan kept the steady rhythm between him and the prince for some time before Vegeta decided to strike some conversation.

"You need to learn how to control your temper brat." Gohan mentally shrugged and blocked another one of the prince's blows.

"I control it just fine Vegeta." Vegeta snorted, but quickly doubled over from a punch to his gut. Gohan hopped back a few feet and crossed his arms arrogantly, his pose surprisingly similar to a certain prince's.

"Considering what I've been putting up with for my entire life I think I'm doing just fine." The prince recovered and leapt back at Gohan, the two of them becoming a tangling mess of legs and arms.

"Maybe so but you'll break at some point. You're still half human." Gohan frowned and nodded, his own limbs acting purely on instinct at this point as he spoke, contemplating about what Vegeta said.

"Yeah, but you have problems keeping your temper in check too. And you're a Saiyan," Vegeta growled and landed a nasty punch on the teenage demi's cheek. "And a grumpy one at that." He added, laughing. Vegeta grunted and threw a roundhouse kick that Gohan caught. Pleased with the current situation, the younger flipped Vegeta so that he landed roughly on his back. He instantly pounced on his elder and held his long fingers to the Saiyan's neck, grinning like a madman.

"I win." He beamed brightly and stepped out of the gravity chamber, followed shortly by a growling Vegeta.

It was nearing midnight after they had finished their spar and took separate showers, before meeting back in the Brief's kitchen, Gohan's arrogance from earlier having worn off. He pulled out a few ice cream bars from the freezer before tossing some of Vegeta's favoured ice cream towards the Saiyan. He caught the tub and spoon reflexively, settling down in one of his chairs, Gohan seating himself at the other end of the room. They turned a movie on and sat in dubious silence.

An hour and a half of silence later, the movie ended. Gohan stood up and stretched pleasantly, getting rid of the kinks that assaulted his body. Vegeta grunted and threw his half-eaten ice cream tub back in the freezer. Apparently, even a saiyan could get brain freeze from having too much Cookies 'n Cream ice cream.

Gohan chuckled at the thought, not to mention the sight of ice cream smeared all over the prince's face and threw his own wrappings in the garbage before bidding Vegeta a good night. The royal gave him a two-finger salute before making his way down to his own room where Bulma was unsurprisingly snoring her life away.

Flopping down on his own comfortable bed, Gohan stared blankly at the ceiling. Today had definitely been unique. Sure, Goten came over often enough, but Gohan was usually more careful than that. He supposed a part of him was still bothered from having to hide from the young boy and Gohan was starting to get tired after doing this for over two years. Sometimes he would float high above the clouds of even just on the roof of Capsule Corporation and would watch longingly at the innocence of his little brother.

His little brother that knew nothing of him, of course. He sighed and closed his eyes, allowing the darkness of sleep to overtake.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the DBZ characters shown in this story.

* * *

Slight Drama!Gohan.

You have been warned.

* * *

The next morning a high school class was scheduled to be given a tour of the area. And, Gohan reminded himself, it was his turn to conduct the tour with Bulma. Something about a man demanding the best for his daughter. And the teenager would bet his left lung he knew who this arrogant pig headed man was.

Gohan himself knew that his position as a vice-president was kept secret from most of the world. So in having to do this, he noted with a hint of excitement, was the only time he would have to.

Dressed in a suit that hid his developed muscles, he stood at the front of the large domed building waiting for the bus that held his nightmares for the day. He had heard enough about the average teenager to know exactly what he was up against: dozens of whiny, yappy, immature children. Sure, he reasoned, some of them were more mature, but he was fairly certain that the bad outweighed the good by a huge margin.

He scowled for the first five minutes of waiting. The next five were spent snickering at Vegeta, who had shown up with Bulma. Said wife had forced the proud saiyan to wear a suit just as restricting as his own. Another five minutes was spent giving the younger saiyan glares. Finally, after a fifteen minute wait, the bus arrived. Bulma stepped forward to greet the guests while Gohan and Vegeta hung back.

"I have a weird feeling about this," He murmured. Vegeta grunted in response but didn't disagree with the kid. It was true that there was a type of strained unease in the air; Vegeta figured that it was coming from Gohan, since Satan's kid was part of the tour. And if he hated anyone more than Chi-Chi Satan, it was Hercule and Videl Satan. The girl had, in Gohan's mind, taken his place as the big sibling. While there was nothing he could do about it Gohan was still hostile towards the girl ever since he found out just who she was and what part she played in Goten's life. As the students filed out of the bus, Gohan laid eyes on the 'rich kid', aka one Videl Satan.

"Bingo," He whispered, pointing to the pigtailed girl who was flanked by a chipper blonde and a bodybuilding tough guy. Vegeta grunted in recognition and already noted the troubled look behind Gohan's eyes.

"Satan's brat," The tone of Gohan's voice startled even Vegeta even though he knew he should have expected it.

Bulma stared at the boy incredulously. Did he just…? Yes, he did. He sounded exactly like Vegeta. The genius giggled lightly while the prince threw his head back and howled in laughter, startling Gohan and the crowd of students. The demi cocked an eyebrow at the prince's behaviour but ignored it otherwise, trying to avoid drawing attention.

Videl, on the other hand, turned around and glared at Vegeta, who had righted his head and smirked back. She completely ignored Gohan who was the source of the prince's entertainment, but turned back to face Bulma once the cerulean beauty coughed to catch everyone's attention.

"Now, I'd like to present my two assistants today. The laughing hothead is my husband, Vegeta," Gohan snickered as the rest of the class stared at his and Vegeta's hairstyles, gaping. Vegeta had the normal flamed hair but Gohan's also stood up in stubborn spikes with one thin bang hanging loosely over his eye. It was similar to his Super Saiyan 2 transformation from when he was younger, minus the lengthy, blonde hair. Bulma laughed at the crowd's reaction and continued. "The other teenager is Gohan, vice president of Capsule Corporation. He's also the youngest employee in the complex. Now, before we begin any questions?" Both saiyans glared at the genius which she seemed to 'miss', Vegeta for the woman calling him a hothead, and Gohan for her drawing attention to him. One hand shot up. It was the bubbly blonde that lackeyed with Videl.

"How do you keep your hair up like that? I mean, like, you must use so much gel…" Vegeta raised an eyebrow to Gohan, willing the younger to take the question. He didn't really feel the need to talk right now. Gohan smirked and nodded, having already thought out a good excuse. Being a scientist had its benefits.

"What you see before you is all natural." He shook his head dramatically to show it all stayed in the same place.

"So you mean-"

"Yep. Results of an experiment gone wrong." He let the minds of the students wander while Vegeta averted his gaze from the crowd, eyes sparkling in delight. Leave it to the demi to come up with an excuse that left the facts for the imagination. The crowd started whispering to each other and Bulma took this as a sign that it was time to start the tour.

_I was going to say freak of nature but that works too. _While she respected Vegeta, she didn't like this Gohan character one bit. If he was as important and powerful as Bulma implied, why had she never even seen him walking through the halls? And sure, she wasn't over as often as she wanted to be, but over three years you'd think you would see him at least once. She was also positive he lived with them; he was so laid back around the Briefs that there was no way he didn't talk to them on a daily basis. Mind you... she was stirred from her thoughts when Bulma's call for attention relocated the class.

"Alright, if you would follow Gohan and Vegeta to the main lobby, I'll meet you there." Both saiyans turned on their heel and made their way through the door, Bulma following behind.

Once inside, she gathered the class together.

"Once your teacher is done taking attendance we'll start the tour." While said professor began the head count, Bulma moved towards the other two non-students in the room.

"I want you two on your best behaviours. That means no martial arts or use of ki. And Vegeta, that also means no calling me woman, Gohan brat, of the rest of the students brats. Gohan, you'll be doing examples with Vegeta for the most part. And when lunch rolls around," She giggled when twin stomachs howled, "You two will have your own separate tables filled with food. I know you guys too, so you'll start eating early. But once the other students come for their own meals you'll have to eat slow, human amounts." Gohan squealed in childish delight and hugged Bulma tightly, almost suffocating the woman. She laughed and whispered into his ear, "If anything makes you uncomfortable, feel free to get up and leave." Gohan nodded vigorously, still hugging the scientist.

Since the lunch ordeal was settled, Vegeta nodded in approval then moved to address the class as they stared at where the teen was hugging Bulma fiercely, and Videl was probably the most astounded. Now she was _positive _there was something weird with that guy. She had known Vegeta- and his explosive attitude- for a long time, and she knew that he was uncomfortable, maybe even angry, when someone even shook Bulma's hand. But he treated Gohan's squeal as if it was normal. Hell, for all she knew, maybe it was. She redirected her attention to Vegeta.

"Alright brats, listen up. We're going to start the tour. I hear any smack talk about any of us and I'll place you in the gravity chamber for the rest of the tour, and I'll babysit you personally. Any complaints?" Everyone stared at him incredulously while Bulma sighed. Less than five minutes into the day and already Vegeta had broken one rule. She was about to yell at him that he'd be sleeping on the couch tonight but decided against it, instead smacking the shorter saiyan on the back of the head playfully. Videl smirked and knew that Vegeta was all too willing to go through with his warning as well.

"Don't worry; the gravity simulator is actually our first stop in the tour." Gohan smiled eagerly, pretending to be overly joyous at the prospect of the tour, even if he was mentally kicking himself. _I want this t__o end already. The chatter gives me a headache._ Vegeta snorted and nimbly manoeuvred past him.

"So this is the gravity chamber." She knocked on the metal frame of the door. "Covered in seven layers of a steel alloy. Strongest stuff we have," She pointed to a long window that stretched over half of the chamber.

"If you'd so kindly wait here, Gohan and Vegeta will go inside and show what it looks like inside the chamber when it's turned on and why we don't market these." She winked to the two boys and pushed them inside, waiting for the familiar hum of the machine. After doing so she opened a built-in curtain to show the boys inside, sitting on the ground in extreme concentration. Vegeta especially looked hilarious; he felt ridiculous putting on an act for a group of teenagers. Gohan was smirking to himself but tried his best to look like he was under stress. Bulma, as well, knew they were pretending. The counter showed that they were at two times earth's normal gravity. Even easier than a walk in a park for them.

"Now then, if you think you can handle it, please step in." The minute the door opened Gohan bounded up excitedly, grinning ear to ear even though his eyes flashes dangerously when Videl entered. He figured she was just trying to be a show off, much like her father. How little respect he held for that family. Vegeta scoffed and stood up as well, leaning against the computer that held the gravity simulation controls. Nine students stumbled in and the door shut behind them.

"We'll start at two times and work from there. If you don't think you can handle any more, let us know and we'll bring you back outside. Well, probably me since Veggie here's a lazy ass." If this day was going to be so dull, Gohan figured he could at least poke some fun at Vegeta and get at least a _little _amusement out of the day. Vegeta growled dangerously but kept his mouth shut. Who knows what Gohan would do if the Vegeta said something the teen didn't like. He hated to admit it but the kid was stronger than him and his back still hurt from being launched into the floor last night.

Sharpner glared at Gohan.

"I bet I could handle way more than that." Gohan smirked and his hand hovered over the start button.

"Ready?" Six of the nine nodded. The other three were there since they lost their own bets but nodded after a moment's contemplation. Gohan pushed the start button and almost instantly the students fell to their knees, some panting, trying to catch their breath. Vegeta and Gohan remained unaffected, forgetting to pretend to be under stress as well. Videl and Sharpner were the first ones to recover, their knees ready to give way as they stood.

"I-I'm the daughter of the great Hercule Satan. This shouldn't be so hard," She grimaced but managed to hold steady. He turned it up to three times and the humans fell flat on their faces again. Gohan frowned and watched as five of the nine were struggling to breathe.

"They don't even look affected by this…" Videl grumbled and sat on her behind, Sharpner following suit.

"Maybe they're holograms, like what those blonde idiots were doing." Gohan's eye twitched dangerously and he turned to Vegeta to address the elder.

"Tell Bulma I need to go sit out for a bit. I'll bring these five out with me." He pointed to the five on the ground. The gravity was shut off and Gohan stormed outside followed by a few more students who hung their heads in defeat. Vegeta stayed inside and turned the gravity up once more. Videl sighed and shook her head. She could handle that again.

"Poor kid's a weakling. Not that I can blame him. He's such a nerd." Vegeta growled and turned the gravity back on, this time at four times. Sharpner smacked against the hard tile and groaned, while Videl was on her hands and knees and was struggling.

"If you want to talk smack about Gohan, do it in his face. Unless you'd rather stay in here with me under five hundred times Earth's normal gravity." Both Videl and Sharpner paled, along with the other two boys who had remained silent up until now. There was no way it was even remotely possible.

After a few more excruciating minutes, Vegeta sighed irritably and turned the simulator off. The desire to torture students wasn't really with him today. Sharpner stood up immediately and grumbled while storming out, Videl following behind hesitantly. She looked back at Vegeta who held that same expression as last night-

_Last night. _No wonder Gohan seemed so familiar. She didn't see his face at the time, but now that she thought about it, their voices were similar. Deep, but in no way hoarse like Vegeta's. Actually, Vegeta's sounded more raspy than anything. Actually, upon further inspection, Gohan kind of looked like Goten...

She shook her head to stop distracting herself. Gohan and Goten related? As if. She followed the class as she left but heard a voice coming from a room nearby.

"Hey Gohan! Guess what?"

"What's up Trunks?"

"Goten's coming over again today! Isn't that awesome?" There was enough of a silence behind the door for Videl to realize that Gohan was hesitating to say something. But why? Her suspicion increased with each passing second.

"Gohan?"

"That… that's great Trunks. Listen, I gotta go kiddo, I'll play with you later, alright? After Goten leaves?" There was a defeated sight behind the door along with the sound of creaking floorboards. Looking around, Videl tensed as she realized she was lost. She walked away from that room, suddenly wanting to do nothing except to distance herself from that door. She kept walking around in circles until a voice alerted her of another presence. She turned around; half-hoping it was Bulma but knew the voice was too masculine. She turned around to come face-to-face with Gohan.

"G-Gohan, hi… I'm sorry, I got lost."

"And how did you get lost?"

"I-I was looking for the bathroom and…" Gohan sighed and shook his head. She was a horrible liar. The Satan girl had the nerve to eavesdrop on his conversation and now she couldn't even admit it. She was just like her father.

"Whatever. Follow me, I'll bring you back to the class." She nodded and followed behind him hesitantly. His cheerful demeanour from earlier was gone and was replaced by cold indifference. Less than two minutes went by and Videl found herself in front of a huge clear door, the inside eerily reminiscent of a safari.

"Looks like Vegeta started the party without me." There a cold chuckle as the door slid open. Gohan went over to join Vegeta who was making his way to a set up of tables farther away while Videl went back to Erasa and Sharpner, still trying to clear her mind of the confusion she felt. The class, as a group, were walking through a sort of indoor park. The tour of the place lasted forty-five minutes, and by the end of it half of the class was famished.

"If you'll all go to where Vegeta and Gohan are," Bulma pointed to two specks in the distance.

"Lunch is ready and provided for. And make sure to eat your fill cause there won't be any leftovers." With that, she strode valiantly towards the two gorging saiyans. They were getting close to finishing what was on their tables and would soon turn to eating smaller portions. And while sure, they made slightly more frequent trips, they were able to avoid arousing suspicion. Something that Gohan would gladly avoid any day.

After lunch the students became restless. They were used to being surrounding by anything and everything that glorified Hercule Satan. But in this place there was nothing like that considering this was one of the few places in the world that knew the truth about Cell. It was as they were getting ready to leave the park that one brave student spoke up.

"Why haven't you guys said a word about Hercule?" Gohan, whose back was to the crowd, tensed up instantly. He knew this was going to happen. There was no avoiding it now. Doing his best to remain calm, he made his way out of the doors.

"I mean, he did save the world from Cell and he's got two kids, who are both here and he has an awesome wife and-" Twin glares made him shut up. Bulma grabbed Vegeta's shirt and pushed him forward, albeit roughly. She pressed her lips to his ear, cupping her hand next to it.

"Vegeta," Bulma instructed silently, "Take Gohan back to his room. Do whatever you can do to calm him down, as long as it doesn't involve ki or fighting." There was a sharp edge to her voice that Vegeta couldn't help but listen to. He wasn't about to argue in front of a group of whiny teenagers anyway. Grasping the teenage Son's shaking shoulders tightly, he pushed the saiyan ahead of him and out of the huge indoor cavern. Gohan wasn't even paying attention; his mind was too busy processing the new information.

The second kid was _his little brother_. That 'wonderful wife' was _his _backstabbing traitor of a mother. _Hercule Satan _was a fool who lied to the whole world. He stole _his _credit. And while Gohan didn't really want or need the publicity, the fact that the man ridiculed the very people that saved his and countless other lives made him absolutely livid. Bulma sighed and shook her head, watching the seething saiyan duo disappear around a corner.

"That," Bulma announced to the silent class. "Is why we don't talk about Hercule Satan." Videl was about to demand to know why her father and family were so disrespected when the fiercest glare she could ever encounter silenced her.

She was suddenly aware, as well, of the head of ebony hair that clung to her leg.

"Siiiiiiiis," the little boy droned while Trunks stood behind him, arms crossed whilst he pouted. His eyes glanced in the direction that Gohan and Vegeta had gone but he quickly averted his gaze back towards his chibi friend's back.

"Yes, Goten?"

"Who was that man that just left with Unca Veggie? I've never seen him be so nice to someone before. He was a stranger too!" Videl smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. If Vegeta ever heard young Goten say that to his face then there would be some serious consequences.

"It wasn't anyone important kiddo. Go play with Trunks, okay?" The seven year-old shook his head vigorously.

"Trunks don't wanna play anymore. He wanted to go see that guy but said I wasn't allowed to come."

"Let's go ask Bulma, okay?" Goten nodded enthusiastically. Clasping his little hand in her own, she moved towards the cerulean heiress and took a deep breath to ask the question. Before her lips moved, however, she was startled by the sudden response.

"No." The young woman was about to ask why when Bulma turned to face them, tears lingering under her eyes. They were still a little ways away from the class so no one but Videl noticed. Trunks strolled up beside his mother as well, tugging on her arm childishly. Bulma frowned and shook her head.

"Please don't ask questions Videl. Just forget you ever met Gohan. Goten, Trunks, I want you two to go play upstairs please." Her son opened his mouth to object but shut it once more at the furious gaze that his mother took on. He took his chibi friend's hand carefully and led him away, said chibi waving back towards Videl, shouting at her to pick him up later. The Satan daughter smiled and waved towards her younger brother before moving to stand with the rest of the class that was being addressed by Bulma.

"Now then, class, I believe it's time to get to our last workshop of the day…"

* * *

Thanks for the reviews everyone, I really appreciate them. :)


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the DBZ characters shown in this story.

* * *

Aaaand here's where the drama gets heavy!

* * *

Gohan was roughly pushed into his room and barely registered the door shut behind him. He still stood there, fingers clenching and unclenching. Vegeta circled the seething boy once before deciding that his mind had melted down from the idiocy of the students.

"Brat." No response.

"_Brat._" The venomous voice wasn't working? Damn, something was really wrong with the poor kid.

"Gohan?" Nothing, not even his own name elicited a reaction from the dazed teen. Vegeta growled and slapped the distracted boy's cheek. He grimaced but took it, still unaware that it was Vegeta who smacked him. His own mind, in the meantime, had resorted to a different way to calm his mind; a familiar scene played before him. His head was bowed in concentration as he worked on a school book.

"_Gohan_." Ah yes, there was that voice. The heinous voice that haunted him in his dreams.

"_Look at me when I talk to you, you ungrateful cretin." _Gohan did just that; he craned his neck so he was staring straight into his mother's unforgiving black eyes. They were like for all of ten seconds before his mother slapped him with all of the force she could muster. While it wasn't painful physically, it still hurt mentally. Why was his mother hitting him? What had he done wrong? Ever since father died he tried so hard to keep her happy. So why was she…?

"_Get out. You aren'__t my son. You're a disgusting disgrace to this family. I love Hercule Satan more than you anyway._" The minute those words flew through her mouth the image faded and he blinked once to find Vegeta standing in front of him in the darkness, the Saiyan's black eyebrows raised questioningly. Gohan shook his head and flopped back against the couch, cradling his head in his hands. Vegeta reclined in the Lay-Z boy chair at the other end of the room and waited for the demi to say something.

Knowing that if Vegeta hadn't left within the first five minutes, then he wouldn't leave at all until he knew what he wanted to know. When the five minute timer was up, he spoke up shakily,

"It feels like this whole universe is out to get me. I have family but yet they aren't family. Vegeta, is this all because I killed my dad? Is mo- is Chi-Chi mad at me for that? Is that why I'm not allowed to meet Goten?" Vegeta thought about it silently for a second.

Gohan still blamed himself for his father's death and he seemed convinced that Chi-Chi hated him because of it. He responded in a very non-Vegeta way.

"Kakarot was an idiot to leave you here. He doesn't understand. As for the harpy," he realized he hadn't called her a harpy for years, mainly because he never needed to. Her name nor any nickname related to her was never mentioned around Gohan anyway; Vegeta and Bulma both figured it was best to keep it that way. But this conversation was probably long overdue and he didn't feel like being polite about someone he honestly hated with nearly every fibre of his being for more reasons than one.

Over the years he had begun treating even Gohan as his own family; the boy needed a father figure after being shoved away from his mother and Vegeta was basically the only one that could even begin to understand what the distressed teen was going through.

Krillin hadn't been an option as he was busy with his own life, seducing android eighteen while still getting over the death of his best friend. There would have been too much pity from them. Tien and Chiaotzu lived in the mountains, and Gohan didn't know them that well either. Yamcha was also busy with his own life; also one of the people who didn't communicate with Gohan very much. But Vegeta was different. After Gohan's father's death and Chi-Chi's betrayal, Vegeta took it upon himself to help the distraught youth. Finding the broken boy in the woods that first night... the prince shook the thought away. It left even him with a chill.

"She never loved your father either. She likes control. When she realized she couldn't raise you how she wanted she shut you out of her life. And with that new brat of her's on the way I'm sure your brother will be spending a lot more time here in the near future." Gohan frowned and thought about it. His mother definitely liked to control people. And while his father had been a tactical genius, he never really knew how to be a family man. He was a courageous and kind person, but never thought about his family instead of the well being of the planet. It was selfless and Gohan still respected his father very much, but there was a stone cold hump of granite that held all his guilt that his mother had built up over the years, expanding in size as his mother added fuel to the fire.

"She married Satan because he's rich. She married your father because he was clueless. Once Kakarot moved on she refused to acknowledge he even existed." He took a deep breath before continuing, still eyeing Gohan cautiously.

"During those three years I was in your house a few times. All evidence and pictures of you and your father existing vanished. Not even an extra gi was stashed in his closet." A sharp intake of breath was all Vegeta needed to know before realizing the teen was about to break down in tears. This information was starting to become too much for him to handle at once. Originally, he had lost all respect for his mother. Now he hated her with every fibre of his being. Yet the little boy that never left was crying out for his mother, wanting to know why. His legs curled up around him and he wrapped his arms delicately around them, squeezing quite suddenly.

"Why is she doing this…? Does she hold no value for her family's life?"

"She does what benefits her. If it means she can't value the life of her family then very well." No one ever said that Vegeta wasn't blunt. Gohan frowned and squeezed against his legs harder and threatened to crush his own shins or possibly snap his wrist. Vegeta cursed silently, berating himself for not predicting that this was going to happen. Teenagers were practically made to be dramatic. Gohan shook his head in denial. It had been three, almost four years, but he still couldn't come to terms with his abandonment.

"Why didn't she just leave me to die then once I was of no more use to her? She still fed me a-and…" The boy shook his head with even more vigour. Quite suddenly the thought of pain was very inviting; it would prove to be a kind distraction to his own mental turmoil. He bit his lip in contemplation and finally decided that he would try it. He tightened up his thighs and slowly eased the pressure into his arms, his fingers clawing into his skin. But the position his legs were in wasn't a very promising way to break a limb.

He squeezed for a few more seconds before giving up. He eased up on the pressure but failed to notice his bleeding forearms. He tucked his head between his stomach and legs and cried silently, in desperate need of another way to vent out his pent up frustration and anger without blowing the capsule building to kingdom come.

Vegeta wasn't sure what to do. Here in front of him was a broken young man who was letting loose the floodgates. Part of him wanted to go up to the boy and hug him, but the other part, his pride, kept him rooted in his chair. The prince had been staring at Gohan's thoughtful eyes the whole time until his head drooped. Then he noticed the blood seeping from the teen's arms. He finally decided to drop the damn pride; it wasn't like anyone was going to see him anyway. He sat down next to Gohan but he didn't seem to register the dipping of the couch. Still unsure, he gently placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and he flinched, unconsciously squeezing much harder. A sharp _snap_ sent the prince into a flurry of curses.

"You idiot," He growled, roughly grabbing Gohan's now-broken wrist. Said demi was staring at it with glassy eyes, his own brain diluted from the pain that he was suddenly assaulted with. It felt... good. Refreshing in a sense. Distracting. Vegeta recognized that look. Self mutilation had been a rather unkind experience for him for years. Sure, he stopped once he started living at Capsule Corp with Bulma, but he understood the haze that clouded Gohan's onyx eyes. He gave the teen one demeaning glance before pulling out his cell, holding the damaged wrist to stop Gohan from poking at it in any way; it would only make it worse.

"Bulma, you're going to have to finish that tour without me or the brat here." A jumble of screeching at the other end. Vegeta winced and pulled the phone away from his ear.

"This is something you can't deal with woman. Just let me handle it." The other line was silent for a moment before something else was spoken through the receiver.

"He... broke his wrist. He's hurt and confused-" He paused for a moment and almost slapped himself. Why the hell did he say that? He had his damn pride to think about! But the poor kid was struggling with so much; Vegeta didn't want the youth to end up dealing with his mental trauma like the prince had.

"Just leave his room alone for a while. That means no Trunks either. _And_ if you try to intrude-" He snapped at Bulma before she could holler at him, "- I'll leave and go somewhere in the woods until the boy recovers. You know I have no qualms with doing that." Damn it, he was acting like he cared more about this boy than his own son. What was wrong with him?

A few minutes later Vegeta growled and shut the phone.

"She worries about such trivial things," He growled half-heartedly to himself, inspecting the teen now that he seemed to calm down a bit. He was still staring at his wrist, his face a mixture between shock and comprehension. He didn't know _why _he did it and it seemed so wrong, but damn it hurt. And from this pain he could focus on getting it away and not have to concentrate on things like Chi-Chi and Goten. Vegeta pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation and gave Gohan a gentle shove, helping the damaged boy upright. His own infirmary was just down the hall, now if the lug would just get moving... There was a slight pause as Gohan didn't seem to register what was happening.

"Gohan." The boy blinked but averted his gaze from his wrist towards the prince. Vegeta pointed straight ahead and pushed the boy forwards again, letting go of his wrist this time. The minor grunted but moved forward, not wanting to lose the pain. He gripped his bleeding wrist against his chest to try and guard it. Once they were in the room Vegeta made Gohan sit down again. The place stank of sterility and various medical liquids but the Saiyan prince didn't let it bother him too much. He looked around for senzu beans for a moment but failed to locate the bag they were usually stashed in. Another string of colourful curses flew through his mouth before he turned back to the teen.

"I'm going upstairs to grab a senzu bean, don't do anything stupid." Preparing to walk out of the room, the prince paused and turned back around.

"Better yet, you come with me," Vegeta marched right back up to the distressed teen and wrapped his entire arm in a thick towel. _That'll have to do_. Gohan held the cloth against his chest with his good arm while Vegeta walked on ahead of him.

While the complex was huge both boys knew the place better than the back of their hands. Vegeta paused in front of his own room and guided the boy inside. Gohan kept his head bowed while Vegeta rummaged through various drawers, finally coming across the ever familiar brown sack that held the green beans that had saved the lives of the Z warriors countless times.

"Eat it." A simple command was met with an astonished gaze. Gohan shook his head stubbornly and turned away, not wanting to lose the wonderful throbbing sensation just yet. Vegeta pinched his nose once more, the back of his throat rumbling.

"Fine. You want to be that way? I'll shove it down your damn throat when we get back to your room." _No__w this is a familiar scene._ Vegeta wanted to laugh at the irony of it all but kept his mouth shut, instead opting to push the teen ahead of him once more. They paused in front of Bulma's lab where Vegeta told Gohan to wait outside. He went in and came back out two minutes later with Bulma. She gazed at the bloody towel thoughtfully then whispered something to Vegeta. The prince shrugged and guided Gohan away again.

"Well, at least you didn't completely smash your wrist with a sledge hammer," Noticing the confused but excited glint in Gohan's eye, Vegeta quickly added, "Don't even think about it. A senzu bean can heal broken bones, but that would sever your nerves and completely obliterate your bones. So unless you want some surgery that won't be happening." The glint in Gohan's eye died away and the boy again retreated back into his mind. For all that he wanted the pain, it wasn't worth going through surgery to get a temporary reprieve from his thoughts.

Back in the complex of the Co-President of CC, Vegeta pushed the boy back on the couch and shoved the bag of senzus on the table. Gohan didn't care at this point; as long as he still had that comforting pain. He wasn't really aware of his surroundings, either. For all he cared they were in the middle of the road and him and Vegeta were about to be hit by a moving vehicle.

The awkward silence lasted for a few minutes with Vegeta crossing his arms and staring down at Gohan, who cuddled the broken wrist in his arm.

"Go to sleep."

Well, there goes that silence.

"But…"

"You're acting like a baby, now go take a nap." Gohan's saiyan pride quickly made itself known and Gohan stood up to his full height to glare at the intruding prince.

"I'm acting like a baby now, huh? Fine, let's fight in the gravity chamber so I can _show you _how much of a baby I am. I'll pound your ass into the ground, and the first who either cries or fall unconscious wins." The prince smirked. _Th__is is more like it._ Now Gohan was going to get some good therapy, Vegeta style. Better aggravate the kid just a little bit more… he grabbed the bag of senzus and tied them to his belt. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that these were going to be necessary after. After doing so, the full blood crossed his arms arrogantly once more.

"I don't see what the point is. I'm not going to spar with someone who only has one arm." In spite of how true it was, Gohan growled even more.

"Ten minutes Vegeta. Meet me in the indoor gravity chamber. We'll need the extra space." After one more dangerous smirk, Vegeta nodded curtly and left the room with the bag of beans. After he was gone Gohan sighed but resigned himself to his fate. Vegeta got his adrenaline pumping now so they were going to have to duke it out.

Ten minutes later found the boys in the spacious chamber, sparring in three hundred times gravity. Things seemed to be going in Vegeta's favour until Gohan landed a kick in the prince's side that sent him flying into the wall. Not too far away in another room, Bulma felt the shock from the impact and slapped herself. As if on cue, her son came barrelling in with Goten, waving his arms ecstatically.

"Moooom, they're at it again!" Bulma sighed and fluffed her son's hair.

"I know kiddo."

"Come on Goten, let's go watch!" Trunks tugged on his friend's arm and Goten nodded enthusiastically, a grin plastered on his face like he was a kid in a candy store.

"No way in hell mister. It's bad enough you train with your dad, but those two get violent and I won't have you see that. Besides, what would Chi-Chi say?" Goten scratched his cheek, trying to think of a good enough excuse.

"Well… I think I can watch since daddy's the strongest man in the world!" Bulma inwardly groaned and shut her eyes for a few moments, trying to figure out how to get away from this. His reasoning was both true and untrue. Yes, Goku was abysmally powerful, but the boy thought that Mr. Satan was both the strongest and his daddy. Mentally checking off certain options, she finally settled for something that she knew would work: a good old fashioned distraction.

"Boys, how about you do a few jobs for me?" Goten looked thoughtful for no more than a second before shaking his head stubbornly. He had this strange urge to fight for a long time now; and neither his mommy or daddy let him train. His daddy didn't actually spend that much time with him, but he supposed it was because there was a new baby on the way. On the other hand, his mommy always wanted him to study and become a great scholar. The one and only time he voiced his desire to train was thrown out the window quickly enough, by his mother firmly planting three more text books on his desk.

"I'll throw in a free chocolate cake for each of you boys if you help me." Goten thought about it once more before Trunks stuck out his hand.

"Make that two chocolate cakes and you have a deal, mom." Bulma laughed and shook Trunks' hand firmly, before pointing at a closet.

"Assignment number one, go re-organize that." The boys dashed away and right into the closet, before she turned back to the class. The class, in turn, was staring in almost complete bewilderment at how Bulma handled the two young boys. _Entire_ chocolate cakes? Was she insane? Well, that's what everyone besides Videl thought. The young Satan was very aware of her little brother's eating habits. But still... whatever caused that explosion made her curious.

"I'll be right back Rase." Erasa nodded before she turned back to her own assignment.

Throwing on the best mask of determination she could muster, Videl strode valiantly up to Bulma, prepared to demand answers. Having her status was good for some things, and while she would normally be very civil to the woman, she wanted to get some things cleared up and now.

"Bulma, can I ask you a few questions?" The woman sighed and told the teenager to go ahead. She couldn't be as crude earlier, not with an entire class there, able to hear everything much better than they had been able to do in the park.

"Great! So, what was that weird explosion?"

"Vegeta and Gohan. One probably slammed the other into a wall."

"How did they do that?"

"Not my place to say." Videl's face grew beet red. She wanted answers, damnit! Not some stupid lies!

"I'm the daughter of the great Hercule Satan and I demand some respect! Now what were those explosions? If it was a criminal I'll have to go and apprehend them! Come on, tell me!"

"Videl, you can yell and scream as loud as you want. It isn't going to change my answer." Videl growled and crossed her arms angrily, tapping her foot in agitation. Goten peeked out from inside the closet and poked Trunks in the ribs. Said child wrinkled his brows for a moment before coming up with an ingenious plan to help out Videl.

"Yeah mom, what were those explosions? No way Gohan's that strong mum. What if dad broke him?" Goten bounced giddily and raised his arm expectantly, babbling away about how he would volunteer to 'check' on the adults with Trunks. Bulma shook her head stubbornly and pointed back to the closet.

"Listen Videl, I understand you want to know some things but did you ever consider that maybe some people don't like others uncovering their secrets?" She almost immediately recognized her error. If Videl was anything like Chi-Chi then she would find out anything and everything about something. Bulma groaned mentally and prepared for the onslaught of threats from Vegeta and possibly even Gohan. She only had herself to blame for this though; she messed up on her wording and Chi-Chi had given poor, young Videl such a superiority complex that it was now impossible to keep any secrets when she was around.

"Aha! So they do have secrets."_And I'm going to figure out what they are._ Videl grinned and dashed out the door before Bulma had a chance to say anything. Swearing in more languages than she knew she remembered, she quickly pressed a button on the intercom.

"Videl's heading to the gravity chamber. I couldn't stop her." The buzzing of the gravity console died down almost instantly and there followed another equally powerful string of alien curses that only Vegeta and Gohan would know. The class listened in on the conversation in mild amusement while Vegeta and Gohan fought back and forth verbally.

"Vegeta, where'd you put the damn senzu?"

"Where do you think, brat?"

"Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck look at my hand!"

"I know, calm the hell down. You did this to yourself."

"And if it wasn't for you aggravating me we wouldn't be here right now, would we?"

"Shut the hell up and let me bandage the wound."

"Vegeta…"

"**What**!"

"Who's laughing?"

"…"

"Vegeta?"

"BULMA. Turn the damn intercom off!" Bulma burst out laughing and, as demanded, shut the intercom off. She waved the class off to go back to their work while she herself made her way to the kitchen where there was almost always an extra senzu bean.

Videl, in the meantime, was striding down the hallways with a purpose in mind: Gohan and Vegeta. She was going to interrogate them until her throat was hoarse. No one kept secrets from her. She slapped the door of the gravity chamber open to find that there was no one in there. But there was a Vegeta-shaped indent in the wall. She wrinkled her brows. Another question to ask the prince, if he was still conscious. She went a little farther down the hall where she found a room that was a mix between an infirmary and a shower stall. She could see Vegeta sitting there, scowling for all of his life was worth. Gohan was there, too, but his back was to her so she couldn't tell what the boys were doing. Both were panting and they seemed to be sweating record-breaking amounts. She coughed once and both men instantly turned their faces to her to glare. She smirked. _Have them now._

"Alright boys, you're going to answer a few questions for me…"


	4. Chapter 4

So I wasn't too pleased with how the last half of the chapter turned out... hopefully I can make up for it with this one! :D

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the DBZ characters shown in this story.

* * *

Who the hell did this girl think she was? She had barged in on them barely two minutes after Bulma embarrassed the boys and now this girl, this 'Videl Satan', thought that because her daddy 'saved the world' she had the right to know the private lives of everyone else? _I had more privacy living with Chi-Chi. _Gohan mentally grinned at the thought but physically glared at Videl, who stood in the doorway with her arms crossed arrogantly. At the same time, Vegeta finished tying the knot of Gohan's bandaged hand. After the _snap _from the tightening, and a snappish remark about how Vegeta needed to learn to tie things gently, both men turned to Videl.

"All right, you have our attention." The girl grinned before cracking her knuckles. Neither responded to her silent dare to challenge her. And while both could easily knock her out, neither Gohan nor Vegeta were suicidal enough to face Bulma's wrath, especially when it pertained to her social and political image.

"First question. How the hell did you make the whole building shake?" Vegeta smirked and crossed his arms, eyes glinting with amusement. Gohan's own onyx pupils were twinkling in a similar fashion. They could have some fun with this girl. She knew absolutely nothing and was too nosy for her own good.

"Practice." Videl growled and punched a wall, quickly regretting it as she held her hand, rubbing her wrist frustratedly. Her act didn't look like it upset the two at all; if anything it seemed to amuse them even more.

"That's not good enough. I want a better answer, and the truth this time." She grimaced when Gohan beamed brightly. Her frown deepened when he stood up to his full height and made circles with his shoulders.

"Sorry Miss Videl, but it's true. It's just a matter of practice, working on the right muscles... fighting the proper tyrants." Gohan promptly flew into a flurry of untamed giggles, Vegeta's lip curling up to form something similar to a smile or a smirk. The teen hunched over and started wheezing after a few moments of breathlessness.

"Tyrants? What do you mean by that?"

"It's an inside joke, don't grow old thinking about it." Gohan waved her off absently.

Videl's face flushed. Here were these two boys who were embarrassing her to hell and back. Unfortunately, this interrogation wasn't playing out as she'd hoped and she had no means of blackmail or other form of 'give-me-what-I-want-or-else'. The physical intimidation didn't work with these two; which wasn't really that surprising, considering both were packed harder than steel. She huffed indignantly, crossing her arms.

"In any case, if this 'interrogation' of yours is over Miss, I think I need to go eat some food. You coming princey?"

"Brat, be grateful I don't beat your ass into the floor." Gohan chuckled and stepped past Videl while the young girl was wrapped up in her own thoughts. However, when Vegeta's shoulder bumped hers she snapped out of her daze.

"Excuse me, where do you two think you're going?"

"Food. I'm starving!" Gohan called back, making sounds that imitated a stranglehold. Vegeta smirked.

"You're an idiot, just like your father." Gohan spun around on his heel, walking backwards on his way to the kitchen.

"And you're an ass, just like Nappa. Minus the height and roasted carcass of course." Videl raised an eyebrow. Who the hell was Nappa? And what did he mean by roasted carcass? Were these two murderers? She decided to follow the two men. Vegeta glanced behind and tilted his head to the side slightly. Gohan smirked and nodded.

"Oh, did I also mention you're as weak as him?" Vegeta growled and made to pounce on Gohan but the demi danced away, landing in front of the kitchen door.

"Ladies first, my prince," He saluted, mock bowing. Vegeta smacked him on the head before entering. Gohan grinned and followed suit, right before Videl rounded the corner. She glared at the closed door, silently willing for x-ray vision. This interrogation was far from over. A series of animalistic grunts alerted her to the situation at hand and she couldn't help but wonder how she should go about getting her answers. Should she just go in there and ask them? It didn't seem to work last time. Maybe a little bit of espionage would do her some good. She grinned and pressed her ear to the wall, trying to see if she could hear anything else. When that failed she prepared to creep in.

"Don't bother. It's impossible to sneak up on my dad. Goten and I have both tried." Videl nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned around to glare at Trunks and Goten, the latter grinning wildly. _When did they get there?_

"And why is that, Trunks?" Trunks shrugged his shoulders.

"Some special training that I'm not allowed to go through until I'm older, mom made my dad promise to wait to do the ki stuff. Which I don't think is fair since Gohan was like _four _when he started." Videl cocked an eyebrow. As far as she was aware Trunks did nothing but play anyway. And from what she heard Gohan had already gone through this 'special' training. Well, maybe the child could give her some answers.

"So you're going to be a fighter when you grow up?" Trunks nodded excitedly, but Goten looked somewhat dejected at that statement, and it wasn't just because he was feeling left out.

Videl was no stranger to Goten's desire to fight. Whenever they were home alone and Videl would check on Goten, the little boy would be watching videos of their father fighting, and then the little tyke would copy his stances almost perfectly. Videl would try to tell her parents that Goten was a born fighter, but Chi-Chi seemed dead set on making him a scholar of sorts. She kept him locked in his room for hours on end doing nothing but studying. He didn't know any kids his age except for Trunks and since they lived so far away there were times when the boys wouldn't be able to see each other for weeks at a time.

"Hey, Goten, I bet if you asked really nicely my dad might train you! Let's go ask him!" Trunks grabbed his friend's hand and dragged Goten and Videl towards the door. The kid's grip was surprisingly strong and Videl had to fight back the urge to lash out at Trunks for having such a tight grip. Goten, on the other hand, didn't seem to notice.

Upon entering the kitchen the first thing the Videl saw was a mountain of food. At one end of the table was Vegeta with Gohan sitting next to him. She had to suppress a laugh when Gohan made to grab one of Vegeta's egg rolls and the prince growled and slapped the teen's hand away. Gohan grinned before returning to his meal. At the other end of the table Goten and Trunks were devouring in a similar fashion, although they were covered in crumbs and it sounded much more ravenous. She figured that they wouldn't be able to finish all of this food off themselves so Videl picked up a bowl of soup before stepping back, watching in fascination as the pile slowly whittled down to nothing. Gohan smiled and patted his stomach, completely oblivious to the other three entrants. That is, of course, until he felt a tugging on his pant leg. He looked down to see Goten. His initial instinct was to run but decided against it. The kid had already seen him a little bit and Videl was suspicious of him. If he ran it would just complicate things more. There was a huge risk that this would bite him in the ass later on but he ignored it, focusing on the here or now.

"You eat like me and Trunks and Uncle Vegeta! That's so cool!" Gohan laughed nervously and rubbed his little brother's hair.

"Sure do!" Goten grinned and bounced on the soles of his shoes, little lips squeezed shut in contemplation. Vegeta snorted and mumbled something about 'like father like son', which gave birth to a brilliantly evil question.

"Where are **your** mom and dad?" All attention was suddenly on Gohan. He sighed, resigning himself to his fate. There was no way for him to reject such an innocent question. The only thing that sucked was that Videl was here to hear it, but it could have been worse. Besides; if he didn't answer there would be even more problems.

"My dad's dead. Killed by Cell." Videl frowned and winkled her nose. As far as she was aware everyone who died because of Cell were brought back to life.

"Everyone who died though were brought back to life somehow."

"Not him. He didn't want to come back."

"Oh." Goten bit his lip and processed this new information. He didn't think that people had a choice. Apparently they did though. As if reading his mind, Gohan hesitantly added,

"He had died once before. As such we'd have to do some traveling to bring him back. He said not to worry about it and that we'd see him when we died." Videl blinked. Died before? How did that work? It sounded kind of unfair, that some were given second chances and others weren't.

"Kakarot always was an idiot." Gohan frowned and glared at Vegeta, sticking out his tongue childishly.

"What about your mom?" Videl's fingers danced across her arm in curiosity and impatience.

"She didn't want me anymore. Since I have some… abnormalities in my blood stream she decided that I wasn't worth it. She kicked me out about three years ago. I had a little brother too, but he went with her. Doesn't even know I exist." He sighed and said little else, but turned to Vegeta after a moment of silence, wanting desperately to get off the topic of his family.

"Hey, Vegeta, can you grab me a senzu?" Plucking a small green bean out of a bag tied to his sash, Vegeta threw it lightly to Gohan, who grabbed it and ate it. His wrist, which was still broken earlier, mended itself. The demi smiled and undid the expertly tied bandage before flexing his muscles.

"I swear 'Geta, those things are like the eighth wonder of the world." The full blood chuckled in response; his way of agreeing with Gohan.

"So, you feel like having another go?"

"Wait until the other brats leave. I don't feel like pounding your ass in just yet." The demi laughed but nodded his consent. Trunks piped up, suddenly remembering their original reason for going to see Vegeta in the first place.

"Dad, you know how you train me sometimes when mom isn't home?" Vegeta raised an eyebrow and nodded. Gohan looked to Vegeta and shook his head, silently telling him that he was taking _no part_ in this. Videl, however, stayed put. She wanted to know what Vegeta's answer was going to be.

"Weeeeeeeeeell, you think you could train Goten too?" Vegeta blinked once, twice before shaking his head wildly. Gohan snorted but couldn't help but agree with Vegeta; training two hyper demis was a death sentence. Not to mention Goten would tell Chi-Chi and that was hell in a hand basket. Goten would be banned from ever going to CC and would have to study more than ever.

"Come on Vegeta, afraid you can't handle a few little kids?" Videl called, completely oblivious to the consequences. Gohan snickered at the prince's 'fish-out-of-water' expression. A sharp glare widened Gohan's grin tenfold. The teen knew that Vegeta wouldn't back down from a challenge. Besides, it was the prince who was going to get in trouble, not him.

"Fine, but on one condition. You two brats," He pointed childishly to Gohan and Videl, "Are to come as well." Gohan was inclined to immediately object but he caught a glimpse of the two children and shut his mouth, drooping his head sadly. Videl grinned and pumped her fist in the air victoriously. Goten and Trunks whooped excitedly and Vegeta was smirking in smug satisfaction. _Payback is a bitch._ He couldn't help but snicker to himself.

The group of five soon found themselves outside. Gohan and Videl prepared their own warm ups while Vegeta instructed the other two on how to properly stretch all of their limbs. Once that was done they stepped into the gravity room, immediately pumping the gravity up to three times. Goten felt a light pull and Videl was on her knees, but the other three felt nothing. Once Videl was on her feet Vegeta sent Gohan to the other end of the gravity chamber to pretend to be busy while Goten, Videl, and Trunks sprinted, punched, kicked, and jumped around the gravity chamber.

These antics continued for another half hour before Trunks growled and stomped his foot childishly, glaring at his father.

"Why are you going so easy on us dad? I mean, I don't even feel anything!" Videl paused mid-stride to gape at Trunks's revelation. She was sweating her ass off and Trunks wasn't even affected?

Vegeta was prepared to yell at his son and berate him about the value of saiyan pride but thought better of it. He wasn't trying to embarrass Gohan. Instead, he turned to the console and shut the gravity off, calling over to Gohan as well. He glared at Videl and Goten and motioned for them to keep running around the gravity chamber, much to Videl's dismay. He opened a nearby compartment and grabbed weighted wristbands, handing two three hundred pound wrist bands to Trunks while handing two one ton bands to Gohan. Once those were fastened he sent Gohan off again and made Trunks run more laps. The child's arms were dragging behind him but instead of looking bored his face was scrunched up in extreme concentration. Vegeta nodded in approval before a spike in Gohan's ki caught his attention. He couldn't hide the grin that spread over his face as Gohan's face and arms glistened with sweat.

"Too much for you to handle brat?" He called over, and in exchange received a patented 'shut up before I make you' glare from Gohan. The prince smirked and leant against the console to observe the other three occupants of the room.

After forty-five minutes had passed Vegeta called for a time out. He sent Trunks, Goten, and Videl off to take either a shower or a bath while him and Gohan sat around lazily. The prince wasn't feeling particularly tired but Gohan was covered in a thick sheen of sweat and he ended up retreating to his suite to take a shower himself.

Later that night, once Trunks was in bed and Goten and Videl left, Gohan ended up sparring with Vegeta again to wind down. It was during this time that they called upon a course of action.

"He knows about me, you know." A punch.

"And?" A series of kicks from Vegeta's end.

"He's bound to mention me, and your training session, to Chi-Chi." Vegeta snorted and kept on attacking. He knew what this meant. If Goten told his mother about any of this the kid would be locked in his room for the rest of his young life. He'd lose Trunks as a friend and Videl would no longer be allowed to visit the building either.

"What do you want to do about it, brat?"

"I don't know... you think Videl has a cell phone I can call?"

"Yeah, probably." Gohan paused for a moment to flip Vegeta over his back. He turned around and powered the gravity machine down before leaving the metallic room. Vegeta grumbled audibly about being dumped so unceremoniously on the ground but left the teen to his own devices, instead opting for a nice hot shower.

* * *

_A/N: lolwut._

_I've had this done for a while, just haven't gotten around to uploading it, so yeah..._


End file.
